Achieving this Milestone Wasn’t Easy!

Behind any meteoric success lies great and dedicated efforts. Congratulations to the Indian women cricketers and all those dedicated forces!

India’s daughters who won the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup have made us so proud that our heads are held high with honour. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited and personally received these champions to celebrate their achievement, it was a moment of profound emotion. The occasion brought to mind Jay Shah’s unwavering commitment, and even more poignantly, the pioneering women cricketers who endured years of adversity and indignity yet never wavered in their resolve. This victory belongs as much to them as to today’s champions. Our heartiest congratulations to all.

Our Prime Minister is a seasoned player in the game of politics. He has achieved glory while performing under challenging circumstances. Who could understand the joy of celebration better than he does? Whenever our country’s sons and daughters have achieved something remarkable, he has always encouraged them. It’s not that other prime ministers didn’t do so, but Modi ji has never missed an opportunity. He has even offered words of encouragement after defeats. Let me share an example that reflects Modi ji’s respect for sports and sportspersons: When the daughters arrived with the World Cup, he did not hold the trophy himself during the photo session and made sure it remained in their hands. The scene was the same earlier when the men’s team had arrived with the World Cup to meet him.

On the day of the Women’s Cricket World Cup final, I kept remembering Jay Shah, because during my meeting with him in Ahmedabad, he had told me, “Just wait and watch! I’ll bring both the men’s and the women’s world cups to India!” Jay Shah is the son of our home minister and master political strategist Amit Shah. There’s a saying that a banyan sapling cannot grow under the shade of a banyan tree. But Jay Shah has proven this saying wrong. When he became the chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), people wondered, “Who is he? Where did he come from?” But Jay Shah demonstrated that, like his father, he, too, understands strategy as astutely as Chanakya did. He completely transformed the landscape. He sidelined all the self-proclaimed heavyweights and made it clear that the focus would only be on cricket!

After Jay Shah took charge, the Indian cricket team has been on a remarkable path of success, a fact evident to everyone. But uplifting women’s cricket was not an easy task. The situation via-a-vis men’s and women’s cricket was like a lavish wedding in a rich household and a modest one in a poor family. The women players faced neglect, humiliation and exploitation of every kind. They were not paid fair fees for their matches. They had trouble getting air tickets, didn’t have special buses for transport and had to stand in queues at the airports. I have witnessed those times myself and that’s why I can say without hesitation that the journey of our daughters has been very difficult. I have seen the struggles of players like Diana Edulji, Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana. I would like to mention here that the Lokmat Media Group had recognised Smriti Mandhana’s talent much earlier and had the honour of conferring upon her the Lokmat Maharashtrian of the Year Award.
Notably, Jay Shah has begun transforming the state of women’s cricket. Now, the daughters of India also receive five-star facilities, and match fees have become almost equal to those of men. However, there is still a vast difference in the annual contract amounts compared to the men’s team. Why this disparity? Hopefully, Jay Shah will bring parity in this matter as well. It was Jay Shah who started the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in India, giving players a platform to hone their skills at the domestic level. He also allocated funds to strengthen the infrastructure for women’s cricket. It was his vision that in October 2023, Amol Muzumdar was appointed as the coach of the Indian women’s cricket team. At that time, critics questioned the decision, saying, “Amol has never played international cricket, so how can he be appointed coach?” But Jay Shah ignored the criticism and placed complete trust in Amol Muzumdar, and the results are there for all to see today.

By winning the Women’s Cricket World Cup, Harmanpreet Kaur’s team has opened new horizons for the daughters of India. Now, cricket for girls will become as popular in villages as it is among boys. And yes, on this glorious occasion of victory, I would also like to congratulate the founding pillars of Indian women’s cricket, the players who built the foundation: Shantha Rangaswamy, Diana Edulji, Anjum Chopra, Mithali Raj, Purnima Rau, Jhulan Goswami, Neetu David, Shubhangi Kulkarni, Veda Krishnamurthy and Shikha Pandey. It is the result of their struggle that today our daughters have attained such heights that people proudly say: “Are our girls any less than the boys?”

On this joyous occasion of celebrating the daughters’ triumph, I want to appeal to the entire nation to recognise the talent of our daughters, provide them with resources to hone their skills and create opportunities for them... do this and see how they shine brighter and make the country proud.
 

Betiyan
Hamari shaktipunj hain,
Hamare gaurav ki goonj hain,
Khula akash dekar toh dekho,
Nabh ka sitara hain betiyan,
Neel gagan ki anugoonj hain!

The author is the chairman, Editorial Board of Lokmat Media and former member of Rajya Sabha.